To many the poetic Mother of punk. The storied, inseparable lover of Robert Mapplethorpe. A style icon of seventies New York girls borrowing from the boys. An unrivaled source of originality, Patti Smith was a shy poet and artist that took to the stage with a whisper starting a quiet riot with her lullaby to growly poetry.

Smith played at the most infamous rock clubs in New York City like Max's Kansas City and CBGB's. In a rarity, the band she started with in dingy bars is still her band to this day and she still takes to the stage with the same gauzy delicacy that turns fierce prophet, she still churns out original poetics from scraps of paper out of her pockets. She is a current muse of the likes of Ann Demeulemeester and holds court with the Dalai Lama himself.

Smith has long stood as an icon of authentic rebellion and an apparent effortless cool alchemized with bravery of thought. She drips in lyrics that stand for the same and her epic ballads like Gloria are still in her own category of musical weight. In her signature sharp black blazer and hipper than thou black boots, her presence is a lesson in magic.

Images courtesy of Patti Smith
Words by Brit Parks